Hello there, rummy subscribers!

A quick announcement: The Rum Wonk Substack has been and will remain free for the foreseeable future, but please keep reading!

With the rise of content creators making your favorite podcasts, songs, videos, and articles, many people support their favorite creators via low-cost, optional subscriptions.

You can probably see where this is going. Yes, I have enabled paid subscriptions for Rum Wonk should any of you wish to contribute to my virtual tip jar. A few folks have already taken the plunge, for which I’m extremely appreciative.

What extras do I get with a paid subscription? Currently, nothing other than the satisfaction of helping fund my ongoing, independent efforts to elevate the rum category via my research, writing, and education.

I don’t intend to pester subscribers to upgrade to a paid subscription. I create and share content because I want my efforts to have a broad reach and help grow people’s awareness of rum as a noble spirit, just as worthy as bourbon, Scotch whisky, tequila, or cognac. Having my content behind a paywall means fewer people see it.

At the end of 2018, I left my thirty-year software career to become a freelance author, educator, consultant, and historian regarding spirits and cocktails. With my wife Carrie, we’ve invested our heart, soul, and savings into creating top-tier books – first with Minimalist Tiki and then Modern Caribbean Rum. I’ve also been fortunate to consult for various companies and provide training for many individuals, which helps subsidize my work.

I left a regular paycheck behind when I left the software world, but the freedom to pursue my passions and share them with people like you is worth far more to me. My income now comes from many small streams. By adding optional paid subscriptions here, I’m adding a new crowdsourced income stream. If you find what I’m doing worthwhile, consider a paid subscription.

Thank you for being a Rum Wonk subscriber!